Love Pentagon
by May-VeggieGirl1
Summary: AU: What if the events after the beginning of Braska's calm didn't work out as expected? What if Auron didn't die? And what if Rikku's mom fell in love with him? How would Rikku being unintentionally dragged with Auron to Tidus's Zanarkand affect the futu
1. Among The Snowy Peaks

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Love Pentagon  
By: May-VeggieGirl1

Disclaimer: I own Jack. Jack owns cheese. Cheese rules all. All screws over I. I suffer. (repeat until you figure out I own nothing whatsoever)

Ever since the beginning of FFX I saw the pairing of Aurikku, but it just never seemed to fit in my mind. Here I was, Rikku's age in FFX, thinking Auron rocks, yet I couldn't connect a 15-year-old hyper active girl to and 30, 40, or 50-year-old dead man. Even with all the Aurikku fics that are out there, I still didn't feel it made any sense.  
Not that this fic makes more sense than other Aurikku fics.  
It just makes me feel better to do like this instead.

One last note: the mech Auron wakes up in is basically a helicopter, but it's never mentioned. And I made up Rikku's mom's name, if anyone has the real name or anything that I screwed up on, tell me. I haven't played the game in a while and I only kept in mind what I found to be very important details. I am pretty sure that her mom died in the game, but remember, this is still an AU.

ANOTHER TEST FIC LIKE HIT THE FLOOR! I can ASSURE you people I won't update this as often as Hit the Floor, which, for those who have read it, I am almost done with Chapter 4.

Summary: AU: What if the events after the beginning of Braska's calm didn't work out as expected? What if Auron didn't die? And what if Rikku's mom fell in love with him? How would Rikku being unintentionally dragged with Auron to Tidus's Zanarkand affect the future? Can Auron explain to Rikku's family and friends where she was those ten years without revealing Sin's true identity yet? How did a simple task turn into this big of a commotion? ChikaiAuron, RikkuAuron, TidusRikku, YunaTidus, BrotherYuna, and possibly more pairings later on!

* * *

All I remembered was feeling incredibly cold... yet everything felt alright. It was a kind of sweeping cold that washed over your body. A cold that shouldn't ever go away again. But I welcomed it. It rid me of that excruciating pain I had been in while trudging down Mt. Gagazet in shambles. It was right.  
Kimahri would go to Besaid to protect Yuna. Hopefully he'll keep her away from Yevon also. And I would die. It was right.  
But it wasn't completely right in my mind. It was probably instinct- the will to live. Whether my body wanted it or not, I'll die here. The Ronso will leave me at peace, they are the ones who are closer to the nature of these things. I will have that peace of mind until Jehct tells me where to go next.

I was at the point... where I thrived over that eternal sleep as that cold numbing feeling came over me.

It was beautiful... but still worth fighting against. It was worth living for in a paradox called reality.

* * *

Slowly, the next thing I knew, the darkness that had engulfed me, what had only seemed a short while ago, began to lift. Warmth had replaced it as I felt that stabbing pain that I thought I would never be able to experience again. Where did it go? This wasn't right. It was the first thing that went wrong. 

She found me.

* * *

Light, warmth, pain. Even though my mind drifted in an abyss, these things I could recognize and the messy puddle of my thoughts began to focus on that point. That point brought me back to the living, conscious world.  
My eyes drifted open slightly to find myself looking at the snow-covered mountains from a high place. And, shortly after half sight came back, sound did too. It startled me, the sound of sheer metal clashing and scraping away made me flinch. I could taste blood in my mouth and my body felt incredibly heavy as it leaned uncomfortably in a chair. 

"Alive," I breathed out painfully as I felt the squeezing of my lungs. Another wave of of cold washed over me, but it wasn't same cold I wanted. It made me shudder, it was the sensation and not the state of mind that I had been apparently deprived from. My mind tried to wander but failed some more. I concluded as to where I was as the sight of Gagazet left and the lush green plains appeared. I'm in a mech, high above Spira. That, or I was having the worst sending to the Farplane ever known. Right, so how did any of this ever happen? I looked down at myself. I was wrapped thoroughly in a thick blanket in the chair as wind rushed all around me. I tried to at least wiggle my fingers but found that they were in a mess of sticky liquid and trying brought more immense suffering on my part. A groan escaped my lips as my head shifted on the cushion it was against without any help on my part.  
My mind, finding exploring my surroundings for answers to be impossible and pointless, began to lose its steady hold and started to drift back into unconsciousness. Suddenly, something caught my single remaining good eye and I forced myself to look at the doorless opening before me to find a women standing there. Her silky blonde hair bounced all over the room because of the the vacuum sucking the air all over the room and her emerald green eyes fixed with mine with concern and surprise before I passed out in my vertigo.

* * *

"Sir Auron?" 

I heard someone calling me and I became upset. I didn't know what death was going to be like, but I know damn well what life was all about. And I sure as hell didn't feel dead. My body continued to throb in pain as I grumbled and tried to roll on my side but failed.

"Please don't try to move."

I wanted to yell at her, I was so frustrated by what had happened, but her gentle yet empowering voice kept my temper at bay. I was more concerned about my whole being feeling like it was on fire to worry about an unusual women ordering me around.

"Hey, Mom, what's going on?"

A boy's voice. I can't distinguish his age by it, and since I had more pressing issues to deal with, I ignored him.

"Go back to your room, Brother. And take Rikku with you." (AN: Am I the only one who finds the mother calling her son 'brother' really weird? O.o;;; Maybe I should give him a more dignified name too... what do ya' think peeps?)

I listened to the sound of soft footsteps and the door clicking followed by silence. I tried to take in deeper breaths but found that it wasn't my rib cage poking into my lungs keeping me from more oxygen. It felt more of outside influence. I decided it was about time to get my facts straight and I opened my eyes to the sterile looking room. It was quiet, simple,and clean, thankfully not a blinding white but mostly an off-tone peach. The women from before stood over me and smiled.

"Sir Auron, you're awake!" She beamed happily while turning to a bed stand next tome to dip a rag into a bowl of water. "How do you feel?" I ignored her question and sleepily glanced over to the door where my red overcoat and jug hung from, cleaned from blood and dirt that accumulated from fighting Lady Yunalesca. Well, at least that's intact. She turned back to me and gently laid the rag on my forehead as I let out as heavy of a sigh as my lungs would allow. It was cool and seemed to soothe my pounding forehead for the time being. She noticed that I had no intention to start a conversation by my own means, so she pushed again. "How do you feel?" I felt like my whole side was shot at with the force of a shoopuff and as lightheaded as a teenager in love, but I took it upon myself to keep my problems as my problems. Instead, I concluded to ask her about something she could help with.

"Where am I, how did I get here, and who are you?" I summed everything up easily, not in any mood for beating around the bush.

"Direct, aren't you Sir Auron? Well, my name is Chikai, I work for Yevon's newspaper, _The Almighty_." (AN: sorry, I couldn't think of a better newspaper name. Believe me, I am a journalist, for _The Mountain_ newspaper, so it's very possible.) ...I was saved by a journalist? The single thing keeping me from the sweet fruits of the Farplane... was a journalist...?I felt like slamming my head against a wall while screaming, but I seriously doubted I would have that opportunity for quite some time. Besides, I was still a monk. Practically half of our customs are to feel things and never do or show them. Control. Hah, that really helped me out a lot. The only time I lost that control is when I suffered that potentially fatal wound. It should have been fatal.  
I brought myself back out of my train of thoughts as she waited patiently to continue. I used my best attempt to nod and let her explain further.  
"Anyway, news of the victory reached all of Spira, and everyone was all smiles. I felt honored to get the assignment to go up to Zanarkand to interview Lord Braska's faithful guardians." The mentioning of my dear lost friend stirred my soul. Ahh, Braska, how is the Farplane? I wish I was with you, it wouldn't be as entertaining without Jehct, but I'm sure there are still good times waiting to be had up there. "I arrived to find no one there, so I decided to stop by Mt. Gagazet to ask the Ronso if any of Lord Braska's guardians had come by, and I found you." She smiled while tucking her hands behind her back and looking down at the ground as if it intrigued her. The cloth resting on my head has lost its cool luster and now only irritated my forehead. "I took you back to Bevelle and wrapped up your wounds."

"So I'm in Bevelle."Chikai nodded cheerfully.

"Is there anything you need?" I stared at the white blinds covering the windows. I really didn't want to seem ungrateful for her saving my life... but I was. Maybe I could find another more helpful use from her.

"How long was I out for?"

"Since you woke up in on the way? About a day." My mind continued to stall over the matter. "Anything else I can help out with Sir Auron?" She blushed as I met my stoic eyes with her bubbly ones,making my decision.

"I think... there is..."

* * *

**_Alright, that's it for the first chapter!So, how can Chikai possibly help out Auron? You'll have to stay tuned to find out! Now be a nice reader and click that liiiitttlle button down there. Please?_**


	2. Mighty Aeon Mr Flopsey

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Love Pentagon  
By: May-VeggieGirl1

Disclaimer: -singing- Ms. Suzy had a steam boat, the steamboat had a bell, and I have nothing so don't ask or you might just go to hell.

Sorry if anyone is offended by my disclaimer. Anyway, wow, I updated! Hope you like this one, it's less "everything in the world is wrong" and is more "everything in the world is wrong but I'm gonna have to deal with it now I guess". Enjoy

Habbo- Wow, you really never have seen any AuronRikku pairings yet? Go to search and look for the word "Auron" in the summary under FFX. I'd say at LEAST half of the fics listed are Aurikkus. Thank you for your review!

MakoAnima- Thanks much! Yes, I did notice I spelled Jecht's name wrong twice in the last chapter (as the note says below), but I uploaded it before seeing that error. One thing I have noticed about this site is it likes taking away a lot of my spaces in between words, which really annoys me. Hmm, I'm not sure this would be the best place to begin if you are looking to start with Aurikkus, since, in this, the Aurikku is a very complex relationship and none of the pairings don't really appear until at least past the 6th chapter (excluding Rikku's mom). Are you sure they didn't mention Rikku's mom in FFX? I swore they said she died. Either way, thank you.

One last note: As Mako mentioned, sorry, last chapter I spelled Jecht's name wrong. Simple human error on my part.

Summary: AU: What if the events after the beginning of Braska's calm didn't work out as expected? What if Auron didn't die? And what if Rikku's mom fell in love with him? How would Rikku being unintentionally dragged with Auron to Tidus's Zanarkand affect the future? Can Auron explain to Rikku's family and friends where she was those ten years without revealing Sin's true identity yet? How did a simple task turn into this big of a commotion? ChikaiAuron, RikkuAuron, TidusRikku, YunaTidus, BrotherYuna, and possibly more pairings later on!

* * *

I waited quietly in bed for Chikai to return while further observing the room. The window next to me shone light through the curtains, the mirror across the bed on the wall hung above a white dresser. Some paintings hung from the wall- finger paintings done by her children. Ahh, kids. I really don't think I ever want to be a father, I wouldn't know where to start. This, I presumed, was going to be half the battle for me to watch over Jecht's boy. I sighed quietly again while lying there, bored out of my mind. Words could not fulfill how much I wanted to stand up and go take a shower. Of course, that would be awkward to take a shower in someone's house without permission. Perhaps I could just get up and leave on my own accord.  
I struggled futilely to sit up or at least roll off the bed, but my body refused to budge anymore, making my attempts seem like I was squirming. My body continued to throb angrily as I gave up and laid there staring at the ceiling. It still hadn't recovered from getting up on its own accord when Rin found me in Zanarkand, before Chikai discovered my half frozen body on Mt. Gagazet. I suppose it's nice that people these days don't leave other people to die, even in the strangest of places. I guess. But not really. That's not what people really are about; what they're really about is getting what they need from you, from the last ounce of life you have in your body. I ignored the bombarding thoughts of human nature as other questions continued to plague my mind. How did Jecht possibly expect me to go to Zanarkand? He didn't think that he would be able to get me there as Sin, did he? Was that even possible?  
One of the reasons I was hoping I would die back there was to talk to Braska about that. He might have had some idea.  
Forget it. It doesn't matter anymore; I should focus on resting up and getting back to normal attires.  
But... what normal attires? How was I going to do that? I had no intentions of returning to Yevon's orders. I could possibly watch over Yuna until Jecht gives me a sign... but what if he gives me the sign personally as Sin? I don't want the people of Besaid, or Yuna, crossing Sin's path. Knowing Jecht, that stubborn fool wouldn't keep that in mind until it was already too late. But what can I say, a friend is a friend. Beggars can't be choosers.  
What was I going to do until I found a way to get to Zanarkand? Well, the only option that seemed reasonable is to stay away from people. But how? There are people all over Spira, and I would need people to get to a place where there weren't people. I sighed while closing my eyes.  
Ahhh, I need to relax. I have plenty of time to think out a plan. Jecht won't approach for at least a month, that much I know. Jecht isn't as stupid as he looks, he'll give me at least that much time. I have a month to think things over...

"Excuse me?" I snapped out of my trance to glance down at a girl's big emerald eyes as she pulled on my sleeve. The closer I looked at her eyes, the more I realized that she had thecharacteristic spirals. She was full Al Bhed. I remember when Braska had introduced Jecht and I to Yuna, explaining that since she wasn't full Al Bhed, she only should have only plain green eyes. Only thing that makes them bi-colored was the fact both his blue eyes and Yuna's mother's green eyes were dominant genes. Nonetheless, what was an Al Bhed girl doing in Bevelle? From noticing the girl's blonde braided hair and facial features, I began to wonder what this was all about. If this girl was indeed Chikai's daughter, did that mean that Chikai, too, was Al Bhed? Why would an Al Bhed move to Yevon and write for their newspaper? Ahh, so the secret complexity of Yevon extends beyond the maesters and high priests to the citizens of Bevelle. How irritating. I shook my head and smiled at her. I'm brooding over this too much, this isn't like me. Damn I want that shower. "What's your name?" She chirped happily and didn't even pause to let me answer. "My name's Rikku!" I nodded when she paused to breathe.

"I'm Auron." She giggled insanely as I quirked an eyebrow. Again, kids. They're so easily amused. She looked back up at me with even more curiosity in her eyes.

"Whatcha' doin'?" Strange thing to ask I thought, but this is just a little girl. You'd think it would be obvious enough, but I didn't want to explain all the horrifying, bloody details.

"I was hurt and your mother helped me." I stopped to think for a moment. "She is your mother right?" Rikku bobbed her head ecstatically while bouncing up and down.

"So is your booboo better?" I couldn't help but begin to crack up at her comment. If 'booboo' was used to describe three fractured ribs, permanent damage to the right eye, and other bruised, broken, and obliterated body parts, then sure, I guess I did get some 'booboos'. But, really, it didn't seem all that funny to be laughing at her, and I pondered it as I held my sides with soreness. I guess it was just one of those times when you really need to laugh to make sure you kept your sanity. It's common for Spira.  
Unfortunately, she also didn't find it humorous. Rikku pouted angrily as her voice hissed at me.

"Hey, I asked you a question, don't laugh!" Sadly it only added fuel to my fit of laughter and she tried to look even more intimidating. When that attempt failed, her hopes sunk and tears lined her eyes. Really, kids are funny. It's cute when they're sensitive, but even cuter when they try to look tough and end up failing. Finally, I calmed back down and looked down to her as silent streams ran down her soft face.

"Rikku, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. You're cute." My lungs seemed to inflame from the spontaneous laughter, only worsening my ability to breath. She looked back up at me and smiled as the tears began to fade away.

"Thank you!" I almost chuckled again, but I didn't have it in me this time to get that laugh out. I didn't want to make my host's daughter cry anymore either.

"You sure are modest, aren't you?" Blinking innocently and tilting her head to the side, she stared up at me in confusion.

"What's modest mean?"

"It means being humble and not making claims about oneself." Her puzzled look didn't faze. "Forget it. Well, anyway, my 'booboos'-" I pausedand chuckled again, almost completely losing my breath in doing so. "-Aren't exactly better yet." She looked disappointed for a moment and I only had time to begin to wonder what she exactly had been hoping for.

"Can you still play dollies with me?" Rikku's question completely left me off guard and I laid there blinking and trying to break down her sentence. I rearranged it and it still didn't click. After even deeper processing, it finally made sense to me. Wow, I was really out of it. I would have decided to tell her to leave to let me sleep, but I was restless still and I knew all it would do was make her cry again. And her cute little face wasn't meant for tears over a venerable man like me. With a sigh in defeat, I looked back down at her.

"Sure, but I can't get out of bed." Her face flooded with delight and she squealed happily while scampering to the door and running out into the hallway. I watched her leave while shaking my head and leaning back further into the pillow. Alright let's see what I can find. I slowly pushed off the devouring blankets and checked myself out. My black armor was gone and clean white bandages were wrapped around my chest. Well, almost completely clean, some blood spots accumulated around where one of the areas on my chest throbbed, about under my right breast. I observed further down and stopped abruptly when noticing I was in my boxers. I felt my cheeks slightly flush while covering my bare legs with the blanket again. I didn't suffer any wounds below my torso; Lady Yunalesca was insane but not completely evil. It seemed that someone was eager to take off my clothes. After getting a bit moresituated, I laid my hand over my right side of my face, carefully examining the bandages covering it with sense of touch. I flinched when a finger grazed a sensitive spot. Ahhrr, better watch for that. With a shudder, I returned my hands back to my side and propped myself up against the headboard.  
I glanced back up at the room to listen for the soft footsteps of her returning. Rikku plopped on the bed next to me with all smiles and an armful of dolls. Well, this certainly looked fun. I eyed her carefully as she ruffled threw the pile and set them up all over the bed. After making everything just perfect, she shoved a stuffed rabbit into my hands and straightened herself on the bed. Dolls were scattered all across my legs as I held the worn and old rabbit awkwardly.

"Okay, so Karea and her friends are on their way back on the Mi'ihen Highroad..." She moved the huddle of dolls along merrily before stopping to narrate again. "When suddenly Sin comes out of nowhere!" She reached behind her back and pulled out a stuffed whale, laying it in front of her dolls while lowering her voice and growling, "Raaawwrr! I'm Sin! Repent little people because I'm gonna eat you!" Out of instinct, I covered my eyes, letting another flash of pain return due to one of my fingers wandering too close to my injury. I sadly smirked as she continued to play out the doll's personalities. Not only is this attempt pathetic, but also slightly more depressing than humorous. Mostly because one of my best friends is now this loathed beast, even though what he had been working for was peace all along. Strange how it's one of the most dedicated people for the ending of suffering that becomes the next cause of the suffering.  
"A-hem!" She cleared her throat as I looked back up to her.

"Sorry, I missed that." Rikku shook one of her dolls back and forth, supposedly signifying the object to be speaking. "I said, I summon my mighty aeon Mr. Flopsey!" What was she--oh. The rabbit she had handed me before lived up to it's title by lumping over on its side in my hand. 'Mighty aeon Mr. Flopsey'? Now that was something I'd like to see. I threw the rabbit in the air as it, coincidentally, landed on the whale she dubbed as Sin. Rikku's grin widened as she held up her dolls victoriously.

"Yaaay! Mighty aeon Mr. Flopsey defeated Sin! Now for cookie reward!" Before I could understand what she had meant by that, she dashed out of the room again. I laid there in unusual silence as her dolls stared at me. Ahh, if only life was this simple and carefree. She skid into my room, holding a jar against herself protectively. Rikku got on the bed next to me, popping open the jar, and pulling out two of her 'treasures'. She paused to look up at me from the cookie.

"Do you want some?" I shook my head as a chuckle escaped from deep in my throat once again.

"Rikku!" With a yelp, she turned back to the door to greet her older brother, standing there tapping his foot. "You know what mom said about the cookies and—hey, we're not supposed to be in here!" She suddenly lunged forward at me, latching herself to my chest.

"But I wanna play with Mister Auron!" Her tiny arms were painfully wrapped around me, but I couldn't seem to find a voice to tell her to let go. He stormed inside the room and grabbed Rikku's ankles.

"Rikku, mom told us to stay out of here, and I know I'll be the one who gets in trouble for you being in here!" He tried to pull her off of me, but she only held on tighter.

"No, I wanna play with Mister Auron," she repeated aloud with renewed determination. So I continued to sit there and watch the two bicker some more while beginning to feel like an exclusive toy or candy.

"What's going on in there?" Chikai rounded the corner and the two children froze. Thinking back, I couldn't help but wonder whether this situation was more awkward and embarrassing than the time I had to drag Jecht and make him apologize to the shoopuff's owner while he was still drunk. Chikai's eyes furrowed as she promptly placed her hands on her hips. Rikku's brother dropped her legs immediately and trudged out of the room with his head hung low. Rikku glowered at her mother and held onto me with unwavering vigor. "Let go of Sir Auron and take your things back to your room." Rikku shook her head as her mother slowly walked to the bed, her footsteps seemingly echoing through the silent room. The little girl was shaking like a leaf by the time Chikai stopped beside us and I knew this struggle was over. In a swift, effortless movement, Chikai peeled her off of me and set Rikku on the ground, handing her the dolls. She pointed at the door. "March." Head hanging even lower than her brother's in defeat, Rikku made her way out with more silent tears. Chikai continued watching the door for a while, probably expecting anything to happen, before addressing me. "I am so sorry for my children's behavior, Sir Auron..." She bowed before picking up the cookie jar from next to my leg. "I did find information about Miss Yuna and a Ronso scheduling to take the Kilika Boat from Luca to Besaid." Great, I figured a journalist would have the easiest time finding that out. Seems Kimahri can move fast by himself to Bevelle.

"Thank you," I nodded before continuing. "Can I ask of one more favor?" Chikai looked back up while smiling.

"Of course, Sir Auron!"

"Let me see your eyes," I demanded with a straight face. She became visibly tense and nervous, but still approached valiantly, giving me full view of her eyes. Like mother, like daughter, I suppose. Looking at them, I couldn't help but wonder why I only saw normal green eyes. It didn't make any sense, unless she was only half Al Bhed. Either way, it didn't seem to fit with the picture I had. Suddenly a small detail struck out to me and I smirked with understanding. "Cleaver approach. Colored contacts to cover up your heritage; yes, very clever. Too bad you underestimated me because my lacking of an eye." Chikai gasped and stumbled backwards, trembling from head to toe. Yeah, most people don't like being completely read out by a stranger. And I could also pity her too, after all, both Yevon and the Al Bhed are not types to deal with traitors lightly.

"Wh-What will you do?" Her eyes visibly blurred. Not only did Al Bhed seem to run in this family's veins, but oversensitivity too.

"Well, as far as I can see, you still saved my life," I tried my best to keep enthusiasm in my voice, but it wasn't easy and it cracked for a slight moment. "And I haven't exactly been on 'friendly' terms with Yevon lately. Besides, it's not my business what you do with your life, I only have a simple question." I waited for her to stop hyperventilating in relief before continuing. "Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why would an Al Bhed move to Bevelle and write for Yevon's newspaper?" She paced to the corner of the room and sat down in a chair. Her deep gaze followed just above my bed to the window.

"It's... a long story..." We waited in silence as the room's space bore into my mind. I wanted to think of something, anything, but all thoughts wanted to start with her words, whatever they would be. So there were none. After a long, long wait, she smiled while standing. "Would you like some tea?" I was partially upset because I was expecting more of an explanation or conversation than that, but I gave into defeat.With a nod in reply, she left andleft the door open. I slouched back down in the bed and tried again to get up, actually making to my side this time while sighing painfully. Somehow dealing with this family had helped soothe my racking nerves. I won't even try to figure how that works out.But being in Bevelle always made me uptight, knowing Yevon worked us like slaves to use at their mere whim. Pathetic, yes, but it was still my life before becoming a guardian. If anyone happens to thing that's living. My eye drooped while continuing to watch the open door for her return. I almost felt... sleepy. I missed that drowsy feeling like a hazy summer in Moonflow, it felt so unfamiliar. Even though it's called The Calm, it's filled with constant rush- people moving around, meeting up with old friends, visiting the dead in the Farplane, frantically trying to enjoy the days they have without worry- and I've felt it from the moment Sin withered under the final aeon's strength. It's nice to be able rest once and a while...  
But even while dozing off, I couldn't help but wonder how Braska and Jecht were doing, wherever they were.

* * *

Mmm, what was that sound? I opened my eye quietly and watched the dark room light up momentarily. Just a lightning storm. Another crack and the sky lit up again as I tried to adjust my eye to the darkness. How long was I asleep for? Either I had slept threw the rest of the day or Bevelle was having a hell of a storm. And that was pretty rare for this area, since the Thunder Plains across the way draws in most of the bad weather. Some might even go as far to say it's "Yevon's blessing". You got to hand it to those kind of crazies, they sure can be persuaded away from logic easily in areas that sound nice to them.  
I was still lying on my side and facing the door, the smell of cold tea brushed my nose and I looked over to the cup sitting on the bed stand. It's amazing how even losing half of one sense can amplify the others greatly. Shame my sense of time was still crocked.  
So, how many days has it been since we defeated Sin? That same day I encountered Lady Yunalesca and was somewhat rescued by Rin. I left Rin the next morning to travel down Mt. Gagazet and tell Kimahri to keep Yuna away from Bevelle. Chikai found me that afternoon in the snow and I was unconscious the whole day after, according to her claims. Then there was yesterday. Today should be the fifth day since The Calm began?  
My calculating was siphoned away by the sound of soft, uneasy footsteps coming from down the hallway. Judging from the heaviness of the footstep, I automatically dubbed the person to be Rikku and watched her small dark form pass by my door. 

"What are you doing?" She froze and lightning flashed from outside. Rikku immediately dropped to the ground while covering her ears and whimpering. It didn't take a rocket engineer to figure out what she was up to from what I saw. "You're afraid of lightning?" She looked up while sniffling.

"I-I was swimming once and a fiend attacked me... m-my brother try to beat it with a lightning spell, but it hit me instead!" She cried some more while sitting on the floor and hugging her knees.

"So?" Rikku rubbed her eyes and straightened her nightgown.

"So?"

"Is that really any reason to be afraid of lightning? It's outside you know. I'd think you would be more afraid of marine fiends than the lightning."

"The fiend didn't actually hurt me, the lightning did!" She stood back up with a pout. I smiled behind the darkness in between us, glad she didn't see this gesture. Crying isn't something I like to witness. "And it **is** a good reason to be afraid of lightning!"

"You came to the wrong person for comfort," I warned her while rolling on my back again. Her pout turned to a frown and she jumped up and down in protest.

"I don't want you're help, I'm just trying to find Mr. Flopsey!" After glancing at her again, I reached back and dug my hand around near where the bed met the wall, retrieving the said companion. I threw it to her and she fumbled it in surprise.

"There you are." Another bolt of lightning struck just outside and she dashed over to the bedside like a frightened prey. I sighed again while shaking my head and watching her cling to the mattress. "I'm not going to consol you."I didn't really want to tell her off. It's just that I can't let her come to me everytime she wants something; sometimes you need to get through to someone that you won't alwaysbe their arms and legs. Rikku only continued to cry.

"C-Can I j-just stay with you?" This kid really knew how to get me. She trembled there as Ipondered long and hard about what to do. I didn't want to leave her there crying, but I also wanted to go back to sleep sometime this morning. I finally gave in and scooted over.

"As long as you stop crying andgo to your own bed to sleep." She clambered in next to me, her soft skin brushing up against my arm as I scooted over even closer to the wall for her. Light poured from the window again and she hid under the blanket. "I thought I told you to stop crying..."

"I can't, I'm too scared..."

"Then you need to face your fears so you'll get over it," I grumbled while rolling over to face the wall. My body was able to move with less pain, I noticed. Thats definitely good. I couldn't see her face, but her voice was filled with confusion.

"Then why are people always afraid of Sin?" For a moment, I was stumped. It was a good question and I was expecting more of a lame excuse from her than anything else.

"Well, not everyone is afraid of Sin. There are people who faceeveryone's fears," I started. "They are summoners, and it takes a lot of bravery to forfeit everything and overcome the fear of Sin. Everyone else believes in these people, and, in a way, absorb some of their courage. So the summoners become respected idols, no matter what background they may have come from, and virtually no man stands before them. That is what they call Summoner's Privilege." I stopped when I realized that I was just saying things as they came to mind, not considering whether they were right to address with her. "What I mean is really strong people do stand up to everyone's fears for them. They are the strongest people of all." Soft rain continued to pound down on the window as I felt an ache inside me.  
Braska. No man could possibly fathom how much courage you had behind that quiet and mild outside appearance. Not me, not Jecht. Not even you I think sometimes. You gave up everything to leave Yuna and all of Spira to rest without fears. So they would never lose anyone close to them to Sin as you did. It seems not this time, my friend. Not this time.  
I laid there in quietude before turning back to her. Rikku was fast asleep, cuddling the toy and ocasionally hiccuping. My eyes softened and I returned back to the wall, not caring about her falling asleep next to me now.

It was for that Braska, Jecht. It's for these people to sleep. I will find a way for all of us to rest in peace someday.

* * *

Sorry if that chapter was too long or hard to understand! It was just as hard to type, I tried updating as soon as I could. Thanks everyone, now review please! 


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